[Environment] Ramsar Convention : Convention on Wetlands of International Importance
Ramsar Convention
\/
the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance
\/
especially as Waterfowl Habitat
\/
an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational value.
\/
named after the city of Ramsar in Iran, where the Convention was signed in 1971.
\/
February 2, 1971 : Developed and adopted by participating nations at a meeting in Ramsar, Mazandaran, Iran, hosted by the Iranian Department of Environment,
Came into force : December 21, 1975
\/
includes 2208 Sites (known as Ramsar Sites)
\/
The country with the highest number of Sites is the United Kingdom.
The country with the greatest area of listed wetlands is Bolivia.
\/
including even “areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters” as well as fish ponds, rice paddies and salt pans.
\/
The state parties meet every three years as the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP)
First held in Cagliari, Italy in 1980.
\/
International Organization Partners
\/
Ramsar Convention works closely with five other organisations known as International Organization Partners (IOPs).
\/
These are
- Birdlife International
- the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
- the International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
- Wetlands International
- WWF International.
\/
These support the work of the Convention by providing
expert technical advice,
helping implement field studies
and providing financial support.
\/
The IOPs also participate regularly as observers in all meetings of the Conference of the Parties and as full members of the Scientific and Technical Review Panel.
\/
Related Question asked in : UPSC CSE 2014 Prelims : General Studies paper – 1 : Question Paper
\/
Share it on Facebook/Twitter/G+
\/
More Coming Soon…
